August 2026 Highlights: Things to Do in NYC
Urban illusions, literary pub crawls, architecture tours, and more happening this August in New York City
NYC is nothing if not a city of extremes. It wasn’t that long ago that the Knicks won the NBA Finals and then World Cup games started, and suddenly the city was united around different ways of depositing large balls into nets. But then the triple-digit days lingered on and Canadian wildfires made breathing dangerous, and we went from the NYC of Home Alone to the Gotham City of The Dark Knight.
In truth, such is life here. One day the subway arrives as you get to the platform. The next day, your walk there involves abandoning an umbrella, dodging a rat, and fending off two election pamphleteers and a manic street preacher. In the highlights below, when it comes to the weather, I put my fingers in my ears and go “la la la.” At least the events below, which feature many highlights from the August 2026 Blankman List, include plenty of indoor options.
Disclaimer: Before going anywhere, please confirm the date, time, location, cost, and description using the listed website. Any event is at risk of being rescheduled, relocated, sold out, at capacity, or canceled. Costs are rounded to the nearest dollar and may change. I try to vet quality and describe accurately, but I may misjudge. All views are my own.
The Magic of Theater
Here I direct you to two different forms of theater: stage magic, and more straightforward dramatic theater where actors and behind-the-scenes creatives deliver a story. The line between the two can get blurry, however. The new Broadway play Paranormal Activity includes magician Chris Fisher as the show’s illusion designer, for instance, and Hayden Childress’ Urban Illusions show is presented with a brilliant narrative.
Thursday, August 6: Abandoned BBQ Joint Magic Show
Stage magic show at an abandoned BBQ place in Williamsburg; 8 pm (7:30 pm doors)
$60 (includes beer and wine)
Former location of Fette Sau
354 Metropolitan Ave (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
Previews begin Friday, August 14: Paranormal Activity
New Broadway play based on the horror film series Paranormal Activity about families who are haunted by an evil demon
$63–$223+
August Wilson Theatre
245 W 52nd St (Midtown, Manhattan)
Friday, August 21: Precursula
Off-Broadway play starring Alex Moffat about the back story of a “famous sea witch”; 7 pm; part of Matchbook Festival Jul 22–Aug 24
$73–$93
Greenwich House Theater
27 Barrow St (West Village, Manhattan)
Fridays and Saturdays: Urban Illusions
75-minute close-up, interactive magic show featuring Hayden Childress tucked away in an East Village basement
$99–$161
Urban Illusions
95 E 7th St (East Village, Manhattan)
Food & Drink
One of the many ways that NYC is special is how you can eat and drink your way through it. Your mileage may vary, you can always just open a maps app wherever you are, search “restaurant” (or “bar” or “bakery” or “coffee shop” etc.) and see what pops up within walking distance. That’s not feasible in most cities! For those a bit more set to planning, I present some highlights below, including an all-you-can-eat pizza lineup, and a literature-minded tour through the pubs of Greenwich Village.
Saturday, August 8: The Lineup Slice Shop
All-you-can-eat pizza from a variety of chefs from Tatiana, Cote, and others, with beer and wine available for purchase; 12–6 pm
$41
The Lineup
302 Metropolitan Ave, Floor 1 (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
Tuesday, August 11: Living Roots Wine Pairing Dinner at The Marshal
Dinner and wine pairing at the farm-to-table restaurant The Marshal presented by the winery Living Roots; 8–10:30 pm
$138
The Marshal
628 10th Ave (Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan)
Friday, August 21: Chef Paula Borja
Five-course tasting menu with wine pairing from Ecuadorian-born chef Paula Borja; 7–10 pm
$195
Brooklyn Point
138 Willoughby St (Fort Greene, Brooklyn)
Every Saturday: Lit Pub Crawl
Literary history tour through various pubs of Greenwich Village; 2–5 pm
$49 (drinks not included)
Currently includes The Four-Faced Liar, Kettle of Fish, and Marie’s Crisis
Starting location provided to attendees (Greenwich Village, Manhattan)
Film
When the summer heat gets too oppressive, I personally love going to the movies. It’s perfect. The lights go off in an air conditioned space, and you get to pretend you’re somewhere else for a few hours. Below I look for a handful of the more unusual films being screened around the city that have nary a Thimothée Chalamet nor Tom Holland in the cast.
Tuesday, August 4: WTO/99
Documentary on the clash between the nascent World Trade Organization (WTO) and 40,000+ protestors, followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers; 7 pm
$20
Nitehawk Cinema Prospect Park
188 Prospect Park W (South Slope, Brooklyn)
Through Thursday, August 6: Welcome II The Terrordome
Screening of Ngozi Onwurah’s 1994 Afrofuturist film in which “Black people have been relegated to a slum called the Terrordome”; Jul 31–Aug 6
$19 adult / $14 senior/child
BAM Rose Cinemas at Peter Jay Sharp Building
30 Lafayette Ave (Fort Greene, Brooklyn)
Thursday, August 6–Thursday, August 13: Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma
Comedy horror film starring Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson about a “blood-soaked world of desire, fear, and delirium”
$19–$21
Angelika Film Center & Cafe – New York
18 W Houston St (SoHo, Manhattan)
Saturday, August 9: Late Fame – Q&A with Filmmaker Kent Jones and Stars Willem Dafoe & Edmund Donovan
Screening of the 2025 drama Late Fame, followed by a Q&A with creatives involved with the film including actor Willem Dafoe; 2:25 pm
$18
Film Forum
209 W Houston St (West Village, Manhattan)
Math & Science
During the school year, sometimes you can catch a variety of public lectures, and all year long there are organizations like the Amateur Astronomers Association or the National Museum of Mathematics (MoMath) hosting different events. For any tourists seeking “non-touristy” events . . . it’s any day of the year you can ride into Times Square and see a Broadway show, but only on Wednesday, August 5, can you head on over to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn for a lecture on Pythagoras’ musical ordering of the cosmos.
Wednesday, August 5: Pythagoras and the Invention of Musical Theory with Bruce M. King
Lecture by historian Bruce M. King on Pythagoras’ involvement with the history of music “and the cosmos”; part of Sips & Scholars Jul 17–Aug 19
Free (includes refreshments)
The Brooklyn Firefly
7003 3rd Ave (Bay Ridge, Brooklyn)
Wednesday, August 12: Math in Your Hands: How 3D Printing Brings Abstract Ideas to Life
Talk by mathematician Mario Micheli on how 3D printing can bring abstract concepts like fractals or stereographic projections to life; 4 & 7 pm
Free
National Museum of Mathematics
635 6th Avenue (Flatiron District, Manhattan)
Friday, August 21: Stargazing: Floyd Bennett Field
Public stargazing session at Floyd Bennett Field with the Amateur Astronomers Association; 7:30 pm; monthly
Free
Floyd Bennett Field
3159 Flatbush Ave (Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn)
Monday, August 24: Dr. Sasha Hamdani: Too Sensitive
Talk by psychiatrist Sasha Hamdani, MD on her newest book Too Sensitive: Rejection, Resilience, and the Science of Feeling Deeply; 7 pm
$14 (talk only) / $34 (includes signed book)
Strand Book Store, Rare Book Room
828 Broadway, 3rd Floor (Union Square, Manhattan)
Art
I stray somewhat off the beaten path here with an education-minded public art tour and talk on typographical history, but I remind readers that there are always a ton of jaw-dropping shows in this city. I’m proud to report I renewed my MoMA membership this year as a birthday gift to myself, and there was at least a solid year where I made The Met my personality. No shows at The Met are planned to open or close this August, but consider checking out the Musical Bodies exhibit, which closes in September.
Thursday, August 6: Summer School: Curator-Led Exhibition Tour (Session III)
Conversation and Q&A with art curator Jenée-Daria Strand on Woody De Othello’s public exhibit Guardian Spirit; 7–9 pm
$35
Brooklyn Bridge Park - Pier 1
2 Furman St (Dumbo, Brooklyn)
Monday, August 10: Type Archived: Treasures of the UK’s National Typefounding Collection
Talk by graphic designer Richard Ardagh on his latest book on the collections of London’s Type Archive; 6:30–8:30 pm
Free
The Cooper Union, The Rose Auditorium
41 Cooper Square (NoHo, Manhattan)
Sunday, August 30: Walking Tour: Upper East Side Architecture Through Affluence and Ailments
Guided walking tour of the history and architecture of Manhattan’s Upper East Side; 10:30 am–12:30 pm
$30
Around Upper East Side
Meet at 78th St & Madison Ave (Upper East Side, Manhattan)
Through Saturday, August 8: Summer Wheat: Forbidden Fruit
Exhibition of paintings from Oklahoma-born artist Summer Wheat about “the historical and biblical idea of temptation”; 10 am–6 pm
Free
A Hug from the Art World
112 10th Ave (Chelsea, Manhattan)
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Song and Dance
Music is found in practically every list I make. It’s such a passion of mine and one of the reasons I moved to this city in the first place. Here I pair a couple of musical call-outs, including My Chemical Romance’s concert at Citi Field, with some ways to set music to movement.
Tuesday, August 4–Sunday, August 16: The Joyce’s Ballet Festival
Ballet performances curated by Misty Copeland featuring “a selection of top talent”; start times at 2 & 7:30 pm
$32–$92
The Joyce Theater
175 8th Ave (Chelsea, Manhattan)
Sunday, August 9: My Chemical Romance: The Black Parade 2026
Concert tour stop featuring alternative rock band My Chemical Romance, with special guest Franz Ferdinand; 7 pm
$152–$602+
Citi Field
41 Seaver Way (Flushing, Queens)
Monday, August 24: Floor to Ceiling Dance and Learn: Cecchetti Technique
Dance workshop for all experience levels where participants learn techniques using a library’s audio and moving image collection; 11 am–12 pm
Free
NY Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy & Lewis B. Cullman Center
40 Lincoln Center Plaza (Lincoln Square, Manhattan)
Select Weekend Nights through Friday, August 28: Roller Skating with Live Bands
Roller skating with live music from a variety of rock bands such as The Happy Fits (Aug 7) and Phoneboy (Aug 28); 5:30–10 pm
$28–$86 (does not include skate rental, which is $12)
LeFrak Center at Lakeside
171 East Dr (Prospect Park, Brooklyn)